


lay me down tonight (lay me by your side)

by lunasasylum



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bisexual Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom Needs a Hug, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, Girls Kissing, Idiots in Love, Late Night Conversations, Literal Sleeping Together, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Soft Cheryl Blossom, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-20 14:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16557458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunasasylum/pseuds/lunasasylum
Summary: It was better to ignore whatever transpired in the night that dwell on it.And it doesn't matter that it was the best sleep Veronica had gotten in almost two years, she could just forget about.Of course Cheryl wouldn't dwell on the fact that it was the first time that she had slept without waking up since Jason died.This was definitely one of those things that they wouldn't be speaking about again.// or Cheryl and Veronica share a bed.// or "and they were roommates!"





	lay me down tonight (lay me by your side)

"So, I'm with Cheryl?" Veronica frowned. 

Betty nodded. "It only makes sense. You two are our co captains and everyone else already has their room assignments." She examined the look on Veronica's face and sighed. "It's only three nights, Vee. You'll be fine."

Just as Veronica was about to open her mouth to reply, Cheryl came up next to them. "Can we go up now? It's been a long trip, and I'm exhausted." Not waiting for Veronica's reply, Cheryl walked ahead to the elevators and threw an expectant look over her shoulder to Veronica. 

Sighing, Veronica took her luggage and followed after Cheryl.

The River Vixens had traveled out of town for the cheerleading state championships. They were going to be out of town for the entire weekend. They traveled up that Friday, and they were planning on spending Saturday morning and afternoon practicing their cheers for the tournament on Saturday night and hopefully, if they placed high enough, on Sunday evening. However, there was an issue with the rooming arrangements, that left Veronica rooming with Cheryl instead of Betty, like they both had planned.

They waited on the elevator in silence and rode up the same way. It wasn't until they reached their suite that Cheryl looked expectantly at Veronica, a pitched "Well?" falling from her lips. Fishing the key card out of her purse, Veronica swiped her card and opened the door for Cheryl, who stepped inside first. Scoffing, Veronica followed closely behind her.

A light huff from Cheryl's lips seconds after she reached inside, and Veronica rolled her eyes, wondering what could possibly be the problem. But, as she pulled up behind her, she saw exactly what the problem was.

"How could they only give us  _one_ bed?" Cheryl bemoaned, setting her bags to the side and walking towards the phone. "I'm calling the desk, there must be an issue."

Veronica simply set her bags next to Cheryl's and took her clothes out. She knew exactly how this would go. Cheryl would argue with the front desk for fifteen minutes before they told her there no more double rooms and that was all they could accommodate. So, she went to shower and wash off the grime and stink of the train they were on. As she cleaned her skin, she took a few deep breaths. 

It was only three nights, she could handle that. It would be fine. They could coexist in the same space without killing each other for three consecutive nights. It was not a big deal. The warm water fell over her face as she tilted her head back. She could survive this. 

As she dried her skin and put on her silk night dress, she brushed her wet hair out. Stepping back into their room, she looked a slightly despondent Cheryl. "I'm guessing they don't have another room." Her voice was already slightly annoyed. It had been a long day for them, along with the added worry of their cheer practice for tomorrow. Veronica just wanted to sleep.

"Nope, obviously not." Cheryl's tone was clipped and short, as she brushed past Veronica to get in the bathroom and shower.

As much as Veronica wanted to crawl into bed and pass out, she knew Cheryl would have some kind of special rules about sleeping next to her, so she just texted Betty and checked on the other River Vixens while Cheryl showered. By the time she got responses from every girl and their roommates, Cheryl was stepping out the steamy bathroom, no doubt having used all the hot water. Veronica was so glad she showered first.

Cheryl packed away her dirty clothes and glanced at the bed, then at Veronica who sat in the desk chair, then back at the bed. "So, Winona, how do you want to do this?"

Veronica looked up at her surprised, and then set her phone to charge on the desk. "It doesn't matter to me, but I'm sure it does to you."

"As long as you stay on your side, and I stay on mine, there should be no problems." She nodded as Veronica walked around to the opposite side of the bed as her. Veronica gave her a tight smile and climbed into bed at the same time as Cheryl did.

Both girls reached over to turn off the light on their side of the bed, and for a while they both laid awake in the darkness. For some reason, as exhausted as Veronica was, even with sleep blurring the edges of her thoughts, she simply couldn't fall all the way.

Peeking next to her, she saw Cheryl with her hair tied up on the top of her head, staring up at the ceiling. They both laid straight in the bed, tight and rigid. It had been a while since Veronica laid in bed with anyone, and she wasn't used to sharing her personal space like this. She couldn't even remember what kind of sleeper she was. Maybe she kicked in her sleep, or hogged the blankets, she wasn't sure.

It was too nerve-wracking for her to just fade away and she knew Cheryl felt the same way. "Cheryl, we need to sleep." 

Surprisingly, Cheryl let out a giggle. "Yeah, we do."

"Are you uncomfortable?" Veronica asked, shifting slightly. 

Shaking her head a bit, Cheryl turned on her side to look at Veronica. "No, I'm fine."

"Then why can't we sleep?" She rolled to lay on her side as well, looking at Cheryl as best as she could in the barely there light from outside.

Cheryl only shrugged and yawned a little. The little movement made Veronica realize how small Cheryl looked to her.

Red hair was wrapped up into a bun, keeping it from falling around her in the night. "Are you nervous?" Cheryl whispered, a hand sliding underneath her pillow.

"Just a bit. You?"

"Kinda." Cheryl admitted, voice dancing on the precipice of sleep.

They didn't speak again for the rest of the night, Veronica only looked at Cheryl who stared right back at her until their eyelids got heavy.

Veronica wasn't sure when she fell into a light sleep, and neither was Cheryl but eventually they did. Veronica knew she was moving a bit, trying to find a way to get comfortable, but she wasn't sure how much she was moving, even subconsciously, she was thinking about Cheryl in the bed next to her.

Initially, she felt what she thought was kick to her legs, and stopped moving. Then, when the kick came again, she shifted her legs and felt something move against them. Still, she refused to get up or even wake up completely. Burrowing further underneath the blankets, there was movement against her arms, that eventually felt slack and heavy.

Rolling closer, she let the weight pull her into a deeper sleep until she was nearly dead to the world around her.

Veronica didn't wake up until a sliver of sunlight peeked in through their heavy curtains. Groaning, she refused to move or stretch. The air in the room was cold, but she was warm and anchored, and felt safe for the first time in a while. She completely forgot she was sleeping next to Cheryl until she slowly opened her eyes and attempted to pull herself up. 

Red hair filled her vision as her she couldn't move her trapped arm.

Cheryl was laying on her bottom arm, with her leg curled around Veronica's. They had both crossed the neutral zone at some point during the night and ended up closer together than when they fell asleep. Their positions had flipped completely, with both girls ending up on the opposite side that they started on. Cheryl had her head laid across Veronica's chest, with her ear pressed to Veronica's heart. But, she was still sleeping, pretty soundly, even with Veronica's sudden, jerky movements.

Relaxing back, Veronica tried to wait for Cheryl to get up, but tiredness and the comfort of Cheryl's weight was just enough to let her sink back into the mattress.

When she woke up again, Cheryl was shifting in her arms, having snuggled even closer, arms wrapped around Veronica's waist.

Veronica waited for Cheryl to come to her senses and tried not to feel burned when Cheryl flinched back. She rolled away, hair falling out of her bun, night clothes rumpled. 

"What the hell?" Sitting up, she looked at Veronica who slowly sat up next to her. "What did you do?"

Frowning, Veronica scoffed, "Me? You rolled into my arms!"

"You probably pulled me?" It doesn't sound as accusing as it should, and Cheryl looks sheepish and blushy.

Instead of pushing the issue, Veronica just rolled her eyes and got out of the bed to rummage through her suitcase. "Whatever, Red. I'm showering first."

It was better to ignore whatever transpired in the night that dwell on it.

And it doesn't matter that it was the best sleep Veronica had gotten in almost two years, she could just forget about. Of course Cheryl wouldn't dwell on the fact that it was the first time that she had slept without waking up since Jason died.

This was definitely one of those things that they wouldn't be speaking about again.

* * *

Cheryl and Veronica had pushed the River Vixens hard that morning. 

The East High Panthers cheerleading squad was no joke. They did not play around and their captain and their coaches were hard-asses. But, they were also the only squad that the River Vixens thought were better than them. While the River Vixens didn't have a steady coach, they were passionate and dedicated. The Vixens knew they had every other squad by the neck. They began practicing right after breakfast, and they worked straight through lunch. It was early in the evening when they stopped to get ready for the competition later that night. The girls went back to their hotel rooms to shower and change, preparing anxiously for the hard battle ahead of them.

Veronica and Cheryl were not as nervous as they thought they should be. When it came time to perform, however, Veronica was practically vibrating next to Cheryl.

Cheryl paused for a second, telling them to hold on the music and ran over to Veronica.

She whispered hotly in her ear, making Veronica shiver. "Calm down. We've got this, yeah?" Her hand was hot on Veronica's cold arm. 

Swallowing hard, Veronica nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Running back over, she gave them the okay to proceed with their music. Their routine was as close to perfect as they could get. They hit every move, every toe was point, every movement was sharp and calculated.

Still, there was the underlying worry when it came time to scoring. 

What if one girl was only a half a step behind? What if she missed a movement? What if she stepped forward to much? Were her toes pointed enough?

These thoughts filled every girl's head, right until their school was called.

_Riverdale's River Vixens - 96.9_

Screams erupted from every girl on the team. They were moving up to the finals tomorrow.

Veronica was yanked into a tight hug, with Cheryl screaming in her ear. "We did it, Ronnie!" Wrapping her arms tight around Cheryl's waist, she spun her 

This was the first time the River Vixens had made it to state finals in over four years. They were usually knocked out of competition before they reached regionals. But, now they had a chance to win it all.

As much as every girl wanted to go out and celebrate, they knew they hadn't gone all the way yet. Tomorrow would be the end, and placing tomorrow would be something to bring home to Riverdale. It would also cement their spot as a serious competitive cheerleading squad.

When they got back to the hotels that night, every room seemed to overflowing with excitement. Cheryl and Veronica's room was no exception.

Even as she brushed her teeth, Veronica couldn't help but smile. Cheryl was showering and talking while she did so.

"I mean, really, we're almost there!" She squeals as Veronica spits into the sink. Veronica's never heard Cheryl sound this elated since they've met. She couldn't fight the grin on her face.

Washing her face, Veronica confirmed with her, "Yeah, we're right there."

When they go to bed, the room is practically buzzing with joy. Laying on her side, Veronica stares at the outline of Cheryl's profile. She was a little too comfortable looking at her, but she ignored that feeling bubbling up in her stomach. Eventually, Cheryl turned on her side to look back at Veronica, her face light and happy.

Both girls want to speak, but neither knows what they want to say. 

Finally, Veronica speaks up. "Thank you for what you did, y'know, calming me down and everything." She gives Cheryl this nervous smile, hands fidgeting where they're tucked underneath the sheets.

Cheryl gives her an uncharacteristically warm grin, not overflowing with confidence like usual, this one is more hesitant. "You're welcome. You did really good today," Cheryl pauses and then quickly adds, "You've done really good all season. Like, during practices and everything." 

Veronica blushed, not used to Cheryl openly complimenting her. "Thank you. It's easy to work when there's someone pushing me."

The rest of their night is filled with mindless conversation. They talk about their favorite colors, least favorite foods, tv shows, movies, and everything in between. 

Eventually, Veronica's mind starts drifting and she's unable to pay attention. But, she's in that sweet space between sleep and wakefulness when Cheryl shifts in the bed. She's too tired to open her eyes and see where she's going, so she just lays there. Cheryl rolls and twists herself right into Veronica's space again.

This time Veronica moves closer into the space between them. So, Cheryl slides into her arms, laying her head against Veronica's arm.

"Vee?" Cheryl murmurs, voice small and anxious.

Veronica whines in response, still swimming between dreams and reality.

"Is this okay?"

Instead of responding verbally, Veronica loops her top arm over Cheryl's back, allowing her to pull in closer. Her legs twine with Cheryl's, staying wrapped together tonight.

_Thank you._


End file.
